Admixing and dispensing method and device



MarcbZO, 1945. sT N 2,371,720

ADMIXING AND DISPENSING METHOD AND DEVICE Filed Aug. 9. 1945 d1- INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 20, 1945 .Carl A. Stine, Van Nuys, Calif.,zassignor to Turco Products, Inc., Los Angeles, Oalifi, a corporation of California Application August 9,1943, SerialNo. 497,940 r 1" c1a'im.\(c1.'299- ss) This invention has to do with admixing and dispensing devices and methods and,-more particularly', it relates to devicesand methods for dissolving chemical masses and admixing them with liquid containing asolvent therefor;

For instance, in dish-washing machines a tank of soapy water is maintained, which water is sprayed over the dishes to'clean them and subsequently a stream of rinse water is introduced over the dishes to rinse them, the rinse water dropping into the tank containing the wash water. Thus, unless additional soap'is introduced to the tank in proportion to the quantity of rinse water added thereto, the soap content of the wash water becomes depleted by the dilution to a point where the apparatus ceases to perform efiiciently. Heretofore it has been the practice to by-pass a certain amount of fresh water from the rinse water line and pass it through a container containing a pulverized soap or other cleaning chemical, depositing the fresh water in the top of the container above the chemical therein and allowing the water to pass down- .wardly by gravity through the chemical and thereby dissolve and pick up some of the chemical before'passing to the tank ofthe washing machine. i

A serious difliculty with such mixing devices has been their lack of uniform and dependable admixing action. The chemical often becomes so caked and hardened that gravity flow of water is insufficient to dissolve a proper amount of the chemical and such'devices cannot be depended upon to provide a definitely predeterminable admixture of chemical with the liquid." Moreover, the proportion of chemical admixed with the liquid in such devices becomes less as the chemical in the container is depleted.

It is therefore among the principal objects of my invention to provide a mixing method and device in which a uniform admixture of chemical and liquid may be obtained regardless of the quantity of chemical in the mixing device.

It is another object to provide a method and device in which the rate of admixture is governed and controlled automatically by the flow of liquid.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device which may be economically manufactured and simple to use as well as one which does not become clogged and inoperative. Another object is the provision, in such a device, of means for maintaining the surface of the material to be dissolved a uniform-distance from the liquid spray.

Still further advantages. are provided by my invention and how those as well as the objects hereinabove specifically mentioned are attained will become apparent from the following detailed explanation of one ofthe physical forms which my invention may take, for which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a medial vertical section, showing some parts in side elevation; Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig'. l;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged medial vertical sectional view ofthe proportioning valve.

Referring now to the drawing I show at 5 a hopper or casing having a conical bottom porion' 5a terminating in a discharge neck 5b,' which neck typically may discharge into a wash water supply tanksuch', for instance, as is employed in a dishwashing machine, not shown. Suspended in the hopper by links 6 there is a conical screen 8, the links being hung at their top endsfrom The screen is adapted to support or contain a mass of caked hooks 1 carried by the hopper.

or powdered chemical such, for instance, as soap C. If the material is caked it is preferable that the cake have a loose fit in the screen.

An upwardly disposed spray nozzle I0 is mounted in the lower portion of the hopper axially of the screen, this nozzle having a conical spray orifice Illa adapted to project an axial conical spray against the bottom of the screen and, through the screen, against the bottom surface of the charge of chemical.

Nozzle I0 is threadedly mounted on the discharge end of a pipe II, the inlet end of which pipe typically may be connected to a source of water under pressure. Pipe ll may have interposed between its inlet and outlet a proportioning valve l5 which will be hereinafter described.

duced through pipe ll may be controlled solely by a conventional manually controlledv valve, not shown, which may be interposed in the line where it is not desired to proportion the admixture with some other liquid stream.

At 20 I show what may be termed a main rinse water supply pipe whose inlet may be connected to a water main for supplying water under pres-.

sure. The discharge end 20a may, for instance,

discharge into a washing machine, not shown, for the purpose of supplying rinse water thereto.

Valve l5, which is connected into both lines I l and 20, is of the construction shown in my copending application Serial No. 465,840, filed Nois proportioned in accordance with the liquid flow vember 17, 1942, and comprises a casing I51: and through the rinse water line 20. The initial ada second casing 15b. Casing la has an intermixture effected by impingement of the spray nally threaded inlet 25 and outlet 26, an inlet against the chemical contained in the screen is chamber 2'! and an outlet chamber 28, said cham- 5 further augmented as the liquid drops downbers communicating through an opening 29 in a wardly and passes out through the restricted dividing partition 30. A check member 3| seats neck of the hopper. against partitionwm'itoward the'fin-letg' ta'nd rhasi Inasmuch as the conicalsprawefiectsh. dissoa guide portio'ir' 3la slida-ble through "opening "29 lutiorr of the -=chemical evenly over the conical and an upper guide portion 33 slidably mounted surface by virtue of being axial therewith, the in a cap 35, which cap is threadedly mounted in charge in the screen drops down into the screen opening 36 provided in the top of casings-Han, "I asaitswsurface- :areaaisdissolved, so that the sur- Casing l5a has a neck 40 threadedly'mountedsr, face is always the same distance from h pr y in the cap 35, and a threaded inlet 4|, outlet 42, and so that the rate of dissolution is the same inlet chamber 43, outlet chamber 44, a pai 'titien* i l5 regardlesswofithe quantity of chemical supported 45 having an opening 46, and-amheck member by :tli'sczieen...,

4'! seating towards the inlet against partition Whi1e,""in"th'e"foregoing, I have resorted to 45. Check member 47 is seciunedqomatste'mffiflfi considerablek-rdetail of structure and association which passes downwardly through opening 46,5 of parts in describing a particular example of my neck 41 and bears at its bottom end againstth ""invention; I wish it to be understood that I have top otacheck member l;=beingllresiliently urgedlz done soimerely, to make-rmyinvention understood downwardly. Joy. coilaspning, ;:5|1.-.-. A capes-l5 la coveraand /that; do, not limitjmy rinventionstro-such Ade.- theatopsopeningl5z in casingll5b\to-provide\accesss; b il n-'-.t e cm ram;..-I.r 1y invention is onlyuto t0i 17hev interiontandra lockanut-.1535ishprovided-i bellim t d a ap e inhe ppe dedclaim:v anOImdneck-AB. A'guide member- 544sthread-cam I edly mounted ion-the -.bottom-;end\ -.of meek/40 and t A device i or mix ng a 1 soluble chemical matehaseaion itudinaltbqner.totslidabl pass stem-4a. ial w th a l qui s v c mpr n c nta ne -r The function of the proportioning ,vva1ve. 4 545,, a conicalsforaminateewallZdividing -the container, to prqportion theamountof liqu id flow-through into aneuppen material-econtainingchamben and line H in consonance with the flow through linesaot alowerssolution-receivingchamber, .saidtwalln 2U; the a proportioni-ng heingmaccomplishedsizby pnovidingsa support for themateriah and.-having-. check 3i being lifted?byugthuflblid- {31135811128 int. itstve-rtex disposed downwardly-in. thecontainer, chamber. 21-: against-the pressure of -T- spninga,,5ll aa-liquidasprayr amemberl mounted in -the.:1O W'|eI toicommensuratelytliit the lcheckt i'la. V g chamber imposition totproject al-iquidssprayv ax From the foregoing description -it will: (benches-" ially :against: the wall. whereby; toedissolve-mate-s l, served thatthelspray;VW,discharged?.from -nozzlez riala expesed-ttherethrough,z and .-asolution'fdis I 0, impinges againstl the,lconicalr screencarrying charge .pertiri-the containentsaid pont having its theechemical and thussevenly,dissolvesechemicala inlela1communicating witht. ethe lowerachamberz fro ms the surface .area; exposed throughalther belowssaidwallaandaspray ,member and beinglof. screen. m Inasmuerrasv the velocity-pf,spnayflarge- -40 apacityltoumaintainz ,the lower chamber= free lycde temnines the rater-oftdissolution of-.- the zchene-,-- oft any. -pool pfrisolutioni in-contact. With-th6 mat-rical the.,chemical-liduidl.admixture--is. governed.-; v terial r 1 b'y vthe liquidqflow throughalineel l-whichpintunn CARLwA; vS'-I'INE.-,-. 

